A Crooked Fantasia
by Sicilienne
Summary: After the war, Duo and Hilde have a visit from Heero, who brings with him a horrible reality neither could ever expect. Eventually a DuoxHilde fic.
1. An Abridged Romance Tale

A Crooked Fantasia

by Sicilienne

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Author's Note: This is basically just a tasting of things to come. I've put aside my rabid obsession with Utena for a few moments to indulge my writing skills in another very cool anime series, Gundam Wing. I've always wanted to write a story featuring one of my all-time favorite characters, Duo, and writing in Hilde's POV made it all the more fun. This is not AU, just my crazy mind envisioning what might have happened after _Endless Waltz_. So, with that said, sit back, relax, and enjoy the fic!

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Disclaimer: I'm sorry to say that no I don't, and never will, own Gundam Wing. Though I believe in miracles and perhaps one day I'll get my grubby little hands on it.

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Chapter 1:_ An Abridged Romance Tale _

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We never kept anything from that junkyard. It was one of those places where we repaired cars or appliances, shipping them out as quickly as they came in, taking joy in the mechanics of the machines rather than the story that each one held. But it was a job, and a nice one at that; mechanic's heaven.

And Duo Maxwell was in heaven.

He moved on, like the others had, after the war ended. He had gone back to leading a normal life, or at least what he thought was one, balancing his life precariously between school and keeping peace in the colonies. He always set aside a little time for us; a small holiday, a weekend, or even an hour or so between classes. We did the usual things teenagers do, go to the movies, out to eat, or just stay in his dorm. And it was those times in that dorm that I cherished the most, because it was there and only there that he would open up and let me see a tiny snippet of the real him. We grew close in that year, and I believed that Duo was my best friend. I never asked if I was his. I just assumed he felt the same way.

But then the Marimeia incident occurred and we recognized that the perfect world the Gundam pilots fought for wasn't so perfect after all. Everyone turned to the things they knew, routines they memorized, people they trusted in. And Duo turned to his machines and me. We were the ideal team, him and me, talking, thinking, and I even believed feeling on the same level.

And now, when peering through the blinds in the office, I am faced with the cold, hard truth. I can see Duo amongst the junk piles out there with _him_. A tightness builds in my throat, and I turn away, instead filing new claims and getting satisfaction when hearing the hollow clangor of the file cabinet when I slam the door shut. It calms me for the time being. But there will be a time in the not-so-distant future when I see/hear/think of Duo, the tightness will return, and I will realize for the thousandth time that the perfect world I created for the two of us had a fatal flaw woven in it.

I never meant to keep Duo all to myself. But now I wish I had.


	2. An Unexpected Visitor

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Author's Note: Wow, I never expected to get the number of reviews I did, considering that I really didn't tell many people about this story. My thanks goes out to Dream Angel (keep writing those amazing poems), Lisek16 (let's see who's the longest reviewer _now_), and Lara Winner (My God, can you write), as well as anyone else who bothered reading this. I know it was short, but that was more of a prologue than anything else. I promise that the upcoming chapters, including this one, will definitely be more plot oriented.

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Disclaimer: You know I don't own this series, so why are you asking? No, I still don't own the series, but I'll tell you when I buy out Sunrise, okay?

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Chapter 2: _A Unexpected Visitor_

The only sounds I heard that morning were that of the stalling engine and Duo cursing under his breath. I stood off to the side of him, chewing impatiently on the cap of my pen and shifting my weight from side to side as he tinkered with the engine of the motorcycle underneath me. I knew he was angry, or at the very least frustrated, and I also knew that in times like this he was either going to break early for lunch and cool down or end up mauling the engine even worse than it already was.

Thankfully, he chose the first option and I saw him crawl out from under the belly of the motorcycle, oil streaked across his cheek like tribal paint. I watched him grab one of the towels he kept balled up on his desk and wipe the grease smudges off his face and arms. He turned to me, a broad grin touching his lips.

"I always forget how hungry I get when I'm working. What do you say you go get us something to eat?" he asked, eyes shining brightly.

"What, are we not capable of making lunch ourselves?" I teased, evoking Duo's pouting powers complete with quivering bottom lip slightly protruding. "Alright, alright. Will sandwiches be okay?"

Duo nodded enthusiastically and I went inside to fix our lunches, tossing in a little tomato, a few leaves of lettuce, and whatever else I could scrounge up in the bare refrigerator. Duo came in a few minutes later, freshened up after a quick shower and change of clothes. As he crossed the room, he gave a friendly pat on the back, fingers lingering within the hollow between my shoulder blades. I felt my breath hitch, and I wondered if he heard it too. If he had, he chose to ignore it, for his fingers left my back in turn for balancing him as he leaned against the countertop beside me.

"How are you?" he asked cheerfully, breaking the silent monotony hanging thickly in the air.

"Fine." I pointed a mustard-stained finger over to an unopened letter lying on the kitchen table. "A letter came from Sally Po this morning. Probably has something to do with the Preventors."

"Leave it. I'll worry about it later."

Duo grabbed an apple off the back of the sink, and with a hasty rub on the tail of his shirt, he bit into the thing with a sharp crunch. I frowned at him, giving him his now useless sandwich, but then remembered that this was Duo here, and that by the time I had gotten settled down with my lunch he would already be begging for seconds. But it was that childlike quality of his that he fought so hard to retain, something long lost by the rest of us after the war, that had originally attracted me to him. It was his mature ideals that made me stay.

It had been a year and a half since he and I met right before the moon factory incident, six months since we began the scrap yard project, and three since the whole episode with Mariemaia and Duo was finally able to put the war behind him. He never spoke of Operation Meteor or Deathscythe and if he were forced to talk about the subject, he would bring up an old anecdote about one of the other pilots and suddenly become engrossed in replacing the cables in a beat-up car. Only once did he willingly bring up the subject, at breakfast one morning while watching the news on the little black and white television we keep placed on the edge of the table.

I was reading the newspaper in the next room, but heard the word 'OZ' broadcasted clearly through the fuzzy static. It was a broadcast reviewing the rise and fall of the faction or something like that, I don't quite remember. But I do remember him suddenly blurting out "Whatever happened to everyone?" before shutting off the television and eating the rest of his cereal. I never did know if he was talking about the other pilots, or if he was directing the question to me, or if he even knew I was standing in the doorway at the time. Besides that one occasion, he stayed his usual optimistic self and pretended as though the whole thing never happened in the first place.

But unfortunately, the fact of the matter still remains that it _did_ happen, and that sooner or later those events would come back to him, and his emotions would surface again. This fateful moment happened during our lunch. I heard the nasal buzz of the doorbell and left Duo and his sandwich to answer the door. And of all the people to stand on the doorstep, _he_ was the last one I was expecting to see.

"Duo? Duo, it's for you."

I heard Duo's shoes pounding down the hallway and he slid into position beside me. He gave me a hesitant sesame-seed smile before reopening the slightly ajar door. And I stood by his side, as Duo's expression transformed from that of anxiety to astonishment, flashing a hint of anger, before finally settling on excitement.

"Heero," he managed to croak out. "What a surprise. Would you like to come in?"

He mumbled yes, and with a quick nod to acknowledge me, he stepped into the living room. I watched as Duo ran off with him, talking a mile a minute, and only pausing to listen for Heero's one word responses before bombarding him with another ten questions. I stood still by the opened door, wondering where Duo got all that spunk all of a sudden, and more importantly, why of all the people, Heero Yuy was the one to come see him. But it became quite apparent from their reunion that I was not to be a part of it, and if I were to dig for the truth, it would probably do more harm than good. So with a heavy sigh, I pushed the door shut and left for the kitchen to finish the rest of my lunch alone.

Liked it? Don't worry, the next chapters will be more exciting and less predictable. I have a few twists up my sleeve. In the meantime, I would love it if you would leave me a note telling me what you think. Who knows, perhaps you'll see an amazingly long review from me awaiting you in the not-so-distant future.

-Sicilienne


	3. A Deep Seated Desire

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Author's Note: Thank you so much to all who reviewed my last chapter. You guys are the best. Anyway, due to some other priorities, and that I got stuck in this chapter (everything I put out was poorly written), there was a delay, but not any longer! Hopefully this chapter will please you as much as the others have, and I sincerely hoped they did prove to contain at least _some_ entertainment value. Like the chapter? Drop me a line. Didn't like it? It would still be nice to receive some constructive criticism.

One last note: a lot of the basis of this and future chapters are based off the manga Episode Zero and Preventors 5. I still cull out the majority of the information from the show itself though, so you don't even have to know of either manga's existence to follow along (besides, most of the information is already known by fans anyway).

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Disclaimer: Sorry. I barely have ten dollars to my name, and I seriously doubt Sunrise or Bandai will consider my offer with that sum, although you never know...

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Chapter 3: _A Deep Seated Desire _

I sat there at the sofa's edge, my sorry excuse for nails digging into the nappy cloth. It was the best I could do to express my anger - well, the best way that didn't involve physically injuring something or someone. I had a way with my temper and when it did ignite, I was notorious for doing idiotic things. So I sat there in the living room in silence, with bunched up fabric stretched between my fingers, and waited there. Just sat and waited.

It had been a few hours since Heero had arrived. I could hear them, or at least Duo, chattering away from upstairs. At first I had tried to listen. But it was muddled, and I could only catch a word of their conversation here and there. The tone was clear though, and I knew that Duo was happy. Of course he was almost always cheerful, but for some reason the sound now seemed lighter, laugh seemed longer, and I deep down I knew that Duo was genuinely happy. I could never make him feel like that. And that was when I began to make my mind up about Heero Yuy.

I absolutely hated him.

The two of them came down that evening and sat with me. I offered Duo a smile that grew in size as he sat down beside me instead of Heero. I turned to the other soldier, unabashedly sizing him up. By this point I could care less what he thought. I almost wished he hated me too. There was something different to him, not just in the way his posture slumped and his hands twiddled nervously. A lack of something rather, a glint of light normally found buried within the depths of his cobalt eyes now vanished. They held emptiness. Hurt. Sorrow.

"What's wrong?" I blurted out.

Heero looked up at me, surprise clearly etched in his features. "What - Are you talking to me?"

"Yeah, I mean you look so _sad_ sitting there. Is there something wrong?" A slight pause. "Does it have anything to do with Relena, maybe?"

Heero shook his head. "She doesn't need anymore bodyguards."

"He's been wandering for the past couple months," Duo interjected. "I've always wanted to do that myself. Be a wandering spirit... wouldn't that be fun?"

I nodded silently, and the conversation subsided to a thick silence. Heero stood shortly thereafter and mumbled something about getting some sleep. And when he left, I was hoping for the pressure that had mounted over the course of the past few minutes to dissipate, but it only managed to grow in size and proportion. It was me and Duo. Duo and me. And the longing inside for it to only be Duo and me.

Duo looked at me, a soft smile playing across his features. He reached down and squeezed my hand lightly. The silence still lingered, until he spoke.

"I'm glad Heero came for a visit." I nodded again and Duo cocked his head to the side, looking me directly in the eye. "I think the question here is are you alright? You've been acting a little strange all day."

I shook my head and could hear Duo give an exasperated sigh. He leaned over and gave me a quick peck on the cheek like he did every night before he headed off to bed. But it meant something more that evening, at least to me it did. I watched him bound off to bed, until I could no longer see his braid bouncing behind him. When I heard the clap of our bedroom door close, I got up and ambled over to the kitchen. Paging through my old address book, I found Relena's number and then, with a slight hesitation, picked up the phone and called her.

Yes, I _finally_ got around to finishing this chapter! The next chapter is when things get complicated, and not just with Relena being there. Until then, it would be so nice if you would tell me what you think thus far. I'll love you forever. Honestly.

  
-Sicilienne


	4. The Unexpected Steps Forth

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Author's Note: I had two routes to go, and I turned the AU way. It's not that I couldn't make a few more chapters of Hilde angst, because I could, and quite easily at that, but let's face it, that would get old pretty fast. This way's more fun, and hopefully you all (or at least some of you out there) agree. Thanks to Dream Angel and Mama-sama again for leaving their thoughtful reviews. Also, I send my gratitude to b, The Gray Ghost, and NTess.

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Disclaimer: This is basically a repeat of what I've been saying for the past three chapters. Let's just make it short and say that the same holds true for this chapter as well.

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Chapter 4: _The Unexpected Steps Forth_

Relena came and went. Her shuttle touched down on L-2 the next afternoon; as always, she had insisted on catching the first flight. There was a peaceful reunion between her and Heero, but in the end the two decided it was best to part ways again and for her return to the Sanc Kingdom.

At least that was what we decided to tell everyone.

Relena came by "unannounced" and immediately asked for Heero's whereabouts, worry etched into her delicate features. I called up to him, and after a few moments of shuffling from above, he came strolling down the steps only to freeze when he saw Relena. His outward expression remained impassive, but within his eyes, I saw the obvious sheen of shock. Anger. Fear. But behind it all was a thick undulation of guilt - the one emotion I was not expecting from him. And in that moment, standing between two people whose lives I should not have interfered with, I began to feel the tug of guilt myself. I just hoped I was as good as masking it as Heero was.

She came in and I asked her if she wanted something to eat after her flight. She smiled softly and shook her head - still the polite woman everyone remembered her as - and promptly turned her attention back to Heero. Her bodyguard. Her friend. Her would-be husband had it not been for the fact that he had disappeared from everyone's sight one day. She knew that. And I believed deep down inside Heero knew that as well, though he would be the last to admit this fact.

"I had been waiting for you," she whispered, more wistful than delighted, like I had planned for her to be. "Every day, just waiting. And now..." She trailed off, moving her lips silently. Heero didn't look like he was willing to say anything, and Duo was nowhere in sight. So I dutifully stepped in.

"Perhaps the two of you would like a room? You can have some privacy there."

Heero nodded in agreement and Relena stopped to mouth 'thank you' before following him up the stairs. I waited for the clap of the door closing before breathing a sigh of relief. But the weight that had formed in my chest upon Relena's arrival was never alleviated. Rather, in the silence of the living room, it exacerbated, becoming bloated and threatening to burst. It only became worse when the arguing began.

It began as harsh murmuring through the door, a rapid exchange where neither side was waiting for a reply, just an outlet to state the pent up feelings that collected over the past couple months. The murmuring increased to shouting, then yelling, and before long I could hear Heero stomping around upstairs while Relena was screaming and - was that crying I heard? - as the walls shook down below.

Duo appeared at the top of the stairs and descended without so much as a gaze in my direction. He didn't have to. He understood what was happening and where to place the blame. He stood in the stairwell, crossed his arms, and leaned his back up against the wall, close enough to make his presence known, but far enough to not be friendly. He was far from his usual cheerful self, replaced with a pensive air. I softly chewed his bottom lip and Duo tapped his foot rhythmically, both of us waiting for the shouting to calm, even though both of us knew everything wasn't going to end that simply.

And then came the gunshot.

Everything slowed to a halt. Duo jerked up with such force, I at first thought that he had been hit. He snapped his head in the direction of Heero and Relena, and it was at that moment that the both of us knew what had happened. I felt the pressure gathering in me rupture and spill. We raced upstairs together, muttering a mantra of "Oh, no"'s in hopes that what happened had just been the stress of the past couple days beating down on our minds.

Duo grabbed the handle and swung open the door. Our worst qualms had become a reality. I was groping for words, but couldn't find any that could possibly reflect any one of the thousands of emotions running through my head. Duo stepped into the room, timidly, and was the first of us to find his voice.

"Oh shit, Heero," he said shakily. Thinking back, I had never, not even during the war, ever heard him so scared. "You didn't... did you?"

Heero was kneeling on the floor. Relena lay at his side, blood pouring from a hole in the side of her head. She was dead. A gun lay at his feet. He looked to us, horrified, before passing out beside her.

Yeah, I know what you're thinking. But it all ties into the plot, which I promise to divulge come the next chapter. Until then, I'll leave you to wondering how our heroes are going to pull themselves out of this little predicament (and believe me, that's not going to be as easy as it sounds).

-Skye


	5. Six Feet Under

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Author's Note: Okay, I'm sorry for the serious delay in updating. I blame the lack of my writing on a little issue I'd like to call 'school.' At any rate, through the coercion of my sister I'm back with another chapter which I hope you'd take five minutes and peruse. As always, this chapter's dark, but things might be looking up for our young protagonist soon. Lastly, I'd like to extend my sincerest gratitude towards all those who reviewed: Dream Angel, mama-sama, Mint, ZephyrHills, and Lady Imbri. You guys are the best.

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Disclaimer: Same old, same old. Just do me a favor and continue reading.

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Chapter 5: _Six Feet Under_

We all gathered around her, too horrified to move towards her and too fascinated with the whole state of affairs to shrink away. So we stood. Watched. And we waited for the wound in her temple to contract, the blood to slip back inside, and for our young diplomat to wake up. Unfortunately, that's not the way life works. In a sense, we were as dead as Relena.

And yet, amidst all the chaos, all I could think about was how quiet the room had become.

Heero silently picked up the gun beside him and turned it over in his hand, gazing at the bloodied barrel. Then, just as calmly, he placed the weapon at the side of his own head, his finger firmly placed over the trigger. He probably would have shot himself too, had it not been for my Duo knocking him down and flinging the gun under the bed and out of sight. Heero lay motionless next to Relena, his wide eyes staring up at Duo, who was trembling violently, propping himself up on shaky arms on either side of Heero's body. 

Relena's death was a messy one. Her right temple had been shot in, the pale skin now gray and torn inward. The blood outpour had gradually decreased to a trickle from the black hole, the puddle beside her extended to meet Heero's arm. The police would be here tomorrow morning. That gave us twenty-four hours to clean up the mess and come up with a sound alibi.

We didn't have enough time. We were as dead as Relena.

I felt nauseous and pushed myself back against the doorjamb, taking deep breaths in hopes that I could slow the blood rushing to my brain. Duo had shrunk away from Heero, fighting back tears that brimmed in the corners of his eyes. Heero still looked dumbfounded as he softly brushed away the loose strands of hair from Relena's face and arranged her hands to clasp together on her chest. Relena's once gentle blue eyes stared vacantly at the ceiling until Heero closed them.

"Well this definitely is something you don't see everyday," Duo whispered, his eyes fixed on Heero. "If you were so bored Heero, you could have just said something instead of fucking everything up and killing the princess."

"If we get the body out of here now, we'll be fine." Heero was ignoring Duo, making the braided pilot all the more infuriated.

"What are you talking about 'if we get the body out of here'? Heero, do you know what you just did? You-you just _killed_ her! Relena's dead now because of you. She isn't an OZ pilot, we aren't in war, and because of this you can't go shooting your gun whenever you damn well feel like it. We're - oh God, Heero, just look at her!"

"I know what I did." Heero's voice was faint and forced. I realized he couldn't cry even if he wanted to. War desensitizes some that way. "I know. You don't have to remind me."

I finally found my voice. "What are we going to do now?"

Heero spoke, his fingers still caressing Relena's cheek. "Duo can hide the gun. You'll clean the room. And I'll find a place to rest Relena."

He was the first to leave, cradling Relena in his arms with such tender care that it seemed impossible that he could have fired a bullet into her skull only a few minutes ago. But he did and here I was with the bloody consequences staring back at me. Duo stood on the other side of the room, trying to remove Heero's fingerprints on the gun handle. He wouldn't look at me.

"She's dead... just like that - boom, and she's gone." Duo laughed bitterly, flashing me a rueful smile. "I bet you didn't think your day would turn out like this, now did you?"

"No, I hadn't planned on someone dying in our bedroom. If I had, I would have beat Heero to the gun."

"Come on, babe. We'll get through this. We always have." And with that, he crossed the room and shut the door behind him, but not before placing a gentle kiss on my forehead.

I turned back to the mess before me. I was almost willing to face reality. Almost.

I fetched a bucket and sponge from the bathroom, allowing my tears to mix with the soap suds I rubbed in the carpet.

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I couldn't remove the stain. I had scrubbed the carpet so rigorously the sponge began to disintegrate in my clutched fist, but I kept rubbing. And yet the stain remained, a faded ghost in place of the liquid original. The others were more successful than me, but even they had faced difficulty in completing their tasks. After all, it's easy to discover missing objects when upturned earth's involved. We had two holes in our backyard and a blood stain on our carpet.

Death was beginning to seem like a relief for me.

"Now what?" I asked. Duo looked at me blankly and shrugged. Heero stared down at the carpet stain.

"They won't believe us," Duo said finally. "I mean, all it takes is five minutes for someone to realize something's up. One quick look around the yard... we're screwed no matter how good our alibi is."

Heero answered. "Then we leave."

Duo spun around to face Heero. "What are you talking about! Leaving? Don't you realize then that we'll be confirmed as the guilty party?"

"Do you have a better idea?"

"We could come up with a story. Discuss it between us, memorize the facts. Just anything but run away."

The two looked to me. Quarreling would get them nowhere. I didn't know if I could do them much better. But I dutifully rose and took my place at center stage, taking note to avoid the wet spot on the floor. Oddly enough, I had no opinion on the issue. Stay or go, we'd still get caught. It was only a matter of time. But when glancing over at Duo, seeing his bright eyes, soft lips, and the thick tail of a braid, now wrung tightly around his wrist; I knew I could not part with him. Not yet.

"I agree with Heero. Let's get packed and go."

Duo stared at me incredulously, but said nothing. After a moment, he shuffled out of the room. Heero soon followed. Out in the hallway I observed Duo link his arm around Heero's shoulder. God only knew where the two of them were headed. I felt the nausea from earlier return and I retreated back to the bedroom. Maybe we should have stayed. Losing Duo for a time would be better than allowing Heero to have him forever. We already witnessed one loss too many.

After seeing Heero's delicate treatment of Relena, I began to question exactly what went on in the bedroom this morning. In truth she wouldn't have even come had I not called Relena the previous night. Her death was my fault. I was a murderer.

The room was deathly quiet. I should have been packing a suitcase, but all I could do was wonder what Duo would think had he known the whole truth.

From downstairs, I heard the sound of laughter.


	6. The Packing Predicament

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Author's Notes: I honestly don't have much to say here, except to thank mama-sama, Lady Imbri, Aisha, Box Turtle, Dream Angel, Bumblebee-Queen, and pushpitake for reviewing my little story. Your comments mean a lot to me.

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Disclaimer: Same as before.

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Chapter 6: _The Packing Predicament_

We packed remarkably quickly, especially when one considers what each of us was going through mentally. Duo and I moved silently around our bedroom, a façade of tranquility overshadowing an overwhelming anxiety swelling inside my head. I could tell by the way his eyes darted nervously round the perimeter of the bedroom that Duo felt the same way. He sometimes would notice my gaze and grant me a fleeting smile before ducking his head in a drawer or opening a closet door to stand between us. And then the veil of calmness would settle and I'd go back to sorting out my suitcase, pretending that this way another ordinary day in the life of Hilde Schbeiker.

But, of course this was far from the truth and it was only a matter of time before the tension would implode. I rocked back on my heels and waited for the rupture.

Duo had his back turned to me when I called to him. "Duo, we're friends, right?"

Duo spun around to face me, his eyebrows quirked and mouth set in an expression of confusion as he silently processed my seemingly innocent question. "Of course we are," he replied after a slight hesitation. "What brought that on anyway? You scared or something?"

"I guess a little, but...." I trailed off, deciding whether or not to tell him the truth about Relena.

"Are you okay? It isn't like you to be this serious, you know."

"People should be serious when someone they know dies. Especially when that said someone was killed by another friend." I heard my voice rising steadily, my fists were clenched. It was as though anger had taken control of my body. "Duo, _this_ is what people do! _This_ is normal! And to tell you the truth, I want to be normal for once in my life. I don't want to be like you and put on a stupid smile and pretend that everything is just fucking fine because it's not. It's not, okay?"

Duo shrunk back after my outburst. "What do you mean?"

"I killed her. It's my fault Relena is dead. I called her last night and she came - I mean, of course she did because Heero was here and she desperately wanted to be reunited with him I was doing them a favor, I guess, but it backfired and now we have the ex-princess of the Sanc kingdom buried in our backyard and us running for our lives. I shouldn't have called her, but I did. I'm sorry." I only told half of the truth, making note to exclude the portion exposing my growing jealousy.

Duo said nothing. He inched closer to me, kneeling beside the disheveled bed and wrapped an arm around my shoulder. We sat like that for what seemed like an eternity, just him and me, with all thoughts of packing and death far from our minds. _And that was how our life should have been. _Just the two of us, with his arm on my shoulder, his hand lightly holding mine, and the sad truth hovering above us that in a instant this moment would be shattered. He reached up and gingerly tucked stray strands of my hair out of my eyes. His face near mine, I leaned forward and placed a kiss on his lips.

He didn't push away like I had feared and envisioned he would. He received the kiss, which was really nothing more than a prolonged peck, but that didn't necessarily indicate he was willing to return it. He sat there, frozen beside the bed with open suitcases surrounding us and an old friend/potential murderer down the hall. And to tell the truth, I wasn't sure why I was kissing him in the first place, with so many other things to do, so many other more important tasks to attend to. I wasn't thinking straight. I wasn't thinking period. I pushed away from him and jerked my hand from his icy grasp, which had grown remarkably firm over the past few minutes. I was surprised I hadn't noticed before.

"Hilde," he said finally, though it was barely above a doubtful murmur. I was at the doorway by then, and offered him only a glance over my shoulder. All I wanted to do was leave then, get as far away from Duo as possible because I was certain that I just destroyed any remnants of our dysfunctional friendship that we had clung on to. He was still kneeling on the floor where I had left him, fingers floating near his lips and eyes staring up at me.

"Hilde, wait. Don't run off on me." He paused then, meticulously choosing his words before finally saying, "We'll be okay."

He was becoming a broken record, with his constant reminders that I'd be fine. Sure, we'd be okay. I wished that Heero's gun wasn't buried in the ground, because at that point I was more than ready to wreak some havoc upon our little junkyard. The tension was surmounting, so much so that it became a near impossible task to keep moving forward as I stumbled awkwardly down the dark hallway. I could hear Duo's pleading voice in the distance, beating rhythmically in time with the blood that coursed over my temples, which, thank God, were not shot through yet.

I paused by the guest room, where Heero was. He was sitting in a chair by the window with his lone suitcase resting beside him. His blue eyes looked out the window; at what, I wasn't sure. The floorboards creaked under me and his gaze shot to me. We stared at each other like this, him perched forward tensely in his chair, me on the defensive with my arms folded across my chest. I was the first to give in, pushing on past Heero's room and slamming the door behind me.

It wasn't until I got outside that I felt the overwhelming pressure inside me explode. I screamed and broke down next one of the buried masses, waiting five minutes before Duo (with Heero trailing closely behind) came out to see what was the matter.

Yeah, I know this chapter doesn't seem to explain anything. I guess it only makes things more complicated, now that I've come to reread it. Honestly though, the next chapter will explain a lot, especially concerning Duo and Hilde's relationship. I promise.

-Sicilienne


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